1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to wireless networks and more specifically to wireless network polling.
2. Background of the Invention
WiFi is a term typically used for a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN). WiFi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. A Wi-Fi enabled computational device such as a computer, game console, mobile phone, MP3 player or personal digital assistant (PDA) can connect to the Internet via a WiFi access point within range of the computational device. The coverage of one or more interconnected WiFi access points can comprise an area as small as a single room or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points.
WiFi access is typically provided by WiFi access providers such as cable network or Internet companies. However, WiFi providers are limited in the amount of information available about WiFi usage statistics of client devices such as a period of time for which a client device is connected to a WiFi access point, physical location of a client device within a network or congestion statistics for a particular WiFi access point. Furthermore, there is a need for real time polling of WiFi devices in a network for troubleshooting purposes.
Methods and systems are needed to overcome the above mentioned deficiencies.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements.